Pendulum or swinging flush valve for water-closets



July 3, 1928.

E. H. GovE PENDULUM 0R SWINGING FLUS vVALVE FOR WATER CLOSETS Filed Sept. 13, 1926 Patented July.V 3,Y 1928i.

UNITED sTATYEs 1ATiiisiT*rori-*icagfg;y

v EDWARD HQGovE, OFBTDDEFOianMAINE; nv'ERAnD J. sovii EXnouToRoF sini) EDWARD H. kciovn,.nneniisnn ,v PENiiULUM oR sWrNGiNG iiLusH VALVE non 'WiirnR-onosnrs. p

l Application med-september 13,1926, serial Nm 135,135. i

which a one-piece valve spindle making Apivotal connection with the lifting lever was employed.

In my pres'entfi'nvention I utilize the onepiece-spindle feature,but adopt'other means for the engagement of these'elements',-the

spindle and lever, in ing the valve. i

As in my former invention, myl present one the operation 1- of. lifteliminates the spindle joints andv the guide tionof a flush-tan r installed therein; 140

- spindle: unit;

' position, and

quite generally employed-in the conventional type valve-lifting mechanisni,this guide element comprising a fixed arm extending from the overflow pipe and engaging the valve-spindle, f restricting it in vits lateral movement to4 very close limits. 'i Another object, in line wit tion of parts, -is to so construct and allocate theV mechanism Ythat certain elements already in or on the tank may be utilized to control and limit the' valve.

inventionconsists in thenovel vfeatures here- Fig lpis a fragmentary sectional eleva? showing my flush-valve` Fig. Q' *isV an elevation of the valve-and- .y F ig. 3 'shows-the emergency stop collar upward 'movement of thevalve; Y'

.. Fig. 4 illustrates an alternate method of lstopping the valve at .functioninoas means tolimit the abnormal.v

` Fig. 5 is an "alternate 'design'V off the water-wayspindle.V y, YReferring y'to Fig.` 1, l represents 'any ordinary flush-tank, 2'the: cover therefor, 3 a Spud member provided with a valve-seat 4, and'is the -flush-valve. 6 is the usual pipe Vnipple extension from the spud member and s hule @infima l. the .valve-spindle..

itsnormal upwardV4 Y Y l y with the tank cover 2,-the position' ofthe -K collar 16 now being as indicated at 16h,.- y with `thecover in this Vinstance serving as a stop to limit the `normal vupward movement VTris the pipe which conducts the outgoing .waterv from the tankwtd, the .water-closet.

rIhe overflow pipe is seen at 8. y y

1 vAny suitable hand-operated Vmechanisn'i maybe `employed to raise the valve from itsV seat,-as for instance, the conventional type shown, having'a handle 9 lixed to a shaft which, when actuated causes the arm 10 to abut on one end of the lifting-lever 11,-the

latter being' pivotally hung in ay proper supporting bracket at 11.y A' verticallyi'disposed holel l2k is f made in the-lifting-lever s lat the spindle contacting end ,thereof` 3 Y *The foregoing parts are common to :most

flush-tanks. i

' Inl F ig. 2 I il'lustratepmy" complete vflushvalve funit, comprising. in its `make-up the valver withits lower portion imacley in 'semi-spherical form,y the valve-spindle 1 3 'andthe water-way-spindle 14. The valve- It is very importantthat vertical adjust- 4ment of :the collar fl'onthe valve-'spindle `13 be possible for the reason that in different `types fand designs ofiiush-tanks'the' distance 'from the lifting-lever to`` the valve seat varies, and it is essential thata small Y intervening space bev always maintained be- `tween the collar andftheV upper 'face of the lifting-lever: when the "valve [is seatech- Yotherwise thel "collariwould eithervliold 'the valve off its seat orprevent coming firmly thereon'to. v,

I have `shown the collar as makinga sliding 'fit over the valve-spindler and'sec'ured thereto by theset-screw; it is obvious that a mechanical equivalent Ylor, the set-screwed collarwould'be a nut, screw-threaded on to Subsequent to the. raising of thefliftingl 'A lever toits extreme. upV Ylpositi on, the. valve,

`being buoyant, will continue to rise until the upper "end of the valve-spindle contacts of the'valve. I v- ,s As just previously stated, Iflush-tanksvary spindle units are furnished as equipment for vflush-tanks already installed, the spindles are supplied over-length and the upper ends clipped ott to fit the tankmeasurement in each individual case.

In the event that the tank cover 2 be removed for any purpose during the flushing period, I have provided an emergency stop-collar 17, which alsois adjustably secured to the valve-spindle 13, below the lifting-lever 11 (see Fig. 3). `While Vthe valve-spindle may then rise above the top of the tank, the collar 17 abutting on the underside of the lifting-lever, which is limited as to upward movement by the stop 18,

prevents `the water-way spindle 14 from completely withdrawing out of the spud v water-way 19. Thus the valve is held under limited lateral control at all times.

It yis one of the distinct features of my present invention to allow'the valve afrelatively largeside-wise play in all directions when off its seat,-in other words, to allowv it to freely follow the gyratory movements of the water during the flushing period and restrain it only when these movements become excessive.

In my former patent, hereinbefore re- *ferredY to, the spindle was restricted to' movementsv allowable with a pivotal connection of the spindle with the lifting lever, but in my present invention I have sought to robtain the greatest possible latitude of action, both vertically and horizontally in all directions, of the valve while lowering to its seat, and I accomplish this object by providing telescopic engagement of the valve-spindle with fthe lifting-lever and allowing greater liberty of lateral action of the water-way spindle in the Spud waterway. In Fig. 5 of my drawings I show a Vwater-way spindle with the lower end constructedv somewhat after the same lines asthe same element 1n my former patent,.-

Vand prevent its coming' into contact with or lodgment on any-'shoulders or vuneven surfaces on the interior of the water-way passage,-a result which might obtain should the spindle be made straight.

I` am not particularly concernedV with ther exact mechanical constructionror shape of the end of the water-way spindle so long asv its size provides a relatively large amount of side play of the'spindle within the waterway in all directions, and its end so shaped acreage' as to eliminate the possibility vofvits hanging up on any obstructionv within the spud opening.

In F ig. t I illustrate an alternate method of providing a stop tol'imit the verticalv movement of the valve-spindle. In this instance a cross-bar 2O serves as the equivalent of and acts in the same capacity as the tank vc over'inthe first method described. I

V.In operation,'the lifting-lever raisesvr the spindle and the valve to a `position as indicated at 5a, bringing the valve off its seat and releasing the water from the tank. Immediately the user releases the handle 10, the lifting-lever drops back to itsV original position, but the valve continues to rise until the end of the valve-spindle strikes the cover i? or the cross-bar 18. After the water lowers in the tank sulficiently to allow the valve to float, the latter may and will gyrate with and follow the swirling of the water discharging from the tank, the one-piece spindle easily sliding downwardly through the orilice in the lifting-lever and the water-way spindle controlling thevside-wise movements of the valve to prevent them becomingv-rajbnormal. vUnder these conditions the valve will come easily and accurately to its seat,

unhampered by closely htting guides orv I movement restricting devices which tendto create friction and cooking of the contacting parts.

rIhe construction of parts embodied inthe apparatus is of the simplest form, the work of installing in or removing from a lush tank the least and the cost of maintenance very low. f

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: A, 1

1. In a.; device of the character described comprising in combination a valve, a valve seat, a water-way, a valve-lifting lever having a vertically disposed hole near its end, an integral valve-lifting spindle', one end being secured in said valve and the other end making a sliding connection with said valvelifting lever throughthe said vertically disposed hole therein, means onA said valvelifting spindle,'superjacent said valve-lifting lever, to raise said valve, and means subjacent said valve and operable between the walls of said water-way, to permit of a relatively large amount of lateralA movementof Vsaid valve when olf its seat.

2. In a deviceof the character described comprising in combination a valve, a valve seat, a water-way, a valve-lifting liever having a vertically disposed hole in the free end thereof, a one-piece valve-lifting'spindle, one end being iiXed in said valve and' the other end reciprocable in the vertically disposed hole insaid lifting lever,l means adjustably secured to said valve-lifting spindle, superjacent said' valve-lifting lever,

whereby said valve may be raised,` and' a -water-Way spindle depending from said valve and adapted to permit of a relatively large lateral movement of said valve when 0H its seat, said movementbeing restricted only by the engagement of said Water-way spindle with the Walls of said Water-Way.

, 8.1m a device of the character described comprising in combination with a valve, a` l0 one-piece valve-lifting spindle and a Water- Way spindle having a relatively large permissible movement, laterally,` when said 'raised.-

Signed at Biddeford, county York andy 20 valve is off its seat, of a valve-lifting ,leverV `lifting' lever, whereby said Valve may be State of Maine, this Llthday of August,l 1927.

1 EDWARD H., Govn; 

